


I do, I did, I always have.

by Hyliari



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Adoribull - Freeform, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 02:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5400023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyliari/pseuds/Hyliari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Wait,” Bull shifts, sitting up to look Dorian in the eye, “Are you saying you want to get married?”</p>
<p>“I thought,” Dorian trails off, flushes, brings a hand up to rub at the back of his neck, scritching at the short hairs there. “I thought we already were,” he whispers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I do, I did, I always have.

**Author's Note:**

> Based off a misunderstanding I had while romancing Bull ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

“You know, usually sex is supposed to be relaxing,” Bull says, sinking further into the pillows and absently stroking a hand over Dorian’s thigh where he sits up against the headboard, blankets pulled up to his lap. “What has you so tense?”

Dorian doesn’t answer, for a moment. He frowns, though, which is at least a sign he’ll probably answer, so Bull keeps quiet. Dorian reaches up to toy with the dragon tooth around his neck, and sighs. “It’s just my father, again. We’ve been exchanging letters since our meeting in Redcliffe. His most recent one was...distasteful.”

“Oh?” Bull prompts.

“For all his talk of wanting to apologize, he still doesn’t seem to understand what he needs to apologize for.” Dorian clenches his fist around the tooth for a moment, then drops it to his chest to gesture angrily with his hands. “He’s acting like he’s being so accepting, telling me I don’t have to get married, but he still expects me to hide! And worse than that, he offered to arrange another marriage in the event that I should change my mind!” Dorian’s shoulders slump, his hands falling to the bed with a soft thump. He pulls the blankets higher around himself.

“What an asshole,” Bull says. “You shouldn’t have to put up with any of that shit, kadan.”

“And I suppose he wouldn’t even respect it if I were already married,” Dorian laughs, dry. “You would mean nothing to him, amatus. Especially without a proper ring or ceremony. He would just completely disregard it, as if it never even happened.”

“Wait,” Bull shifts, sitting up to look Dorian in the eye, “Are you saying you want to get married?”

“I thought,” Dorian trails off, flushes, brings a hand up to rub at the back of his neck, scritching at the short hairs there. “I thought we already were,” he whispers.

Bull stares, for once, at a complete loss for words.

“I mean,” Dorian starts up, voice thin and reedy, eyes darting around to land anywhere but the Bull’s face, “admissions of love, exchanging of expensive and meaningful jewelry.” He raises his hand to the dragon’s tooth around his neck, ever-present since the day he put it on, and twirls the chain around his fingers. “And then there’s that thing you call me, that thing I call you. All this talk of hearts and how we’ll always be together even if we’re apart. Which we hardly ever are, by the way. I haven’t spent a night anywhere but your bed in longer than I can remember. Even without a ceremony it all seemed very, well--very something.”

“Very _something_ ,” Bull echoes, face carefully blank.

“Yes, well, I wasn’t _sure_ , now was I? And now I see I had assumed wrong, and I--oh, Maker. What have I done?” Dorian clenches the bedsheet in his hands to hide their shaking, but the tremors travel up to his shoulders and spread through his whole body. “Yes, Dorian,” he mocks, “Go and make more out of a simple gesture than was intended. What could possibly go wrong.” The air feels colder than it should when he slips the blanket down, turning to step out of the bed and give Bull some space. He stops at the feel of Bull’s hands closing around his, holding him steady. It’s almost embarrassing how quickly he stops shaking.

“Dorian Pavus,” the Bull says, face more serious than Dorian has seen him in ages, and he steps out of bed and away from Dorian. _This is it_ , Dorian thinks, _This is the end._ Except Bull is still holding his hands and pulls him over to the edge of the bed with him.

Bull’s hands are doing something to his own and Dorian looks down, asks, “What are you--” but Bull shushes him harshly.

“Dorian Pavus,” Bull repeats, and bends down on one knee. Dorian’s heart kicks up into his throat, and his mouth drops open. “Will you marry me?” Bull presents one of Dorian’s own rings, plucked from his finger just moments before, looking just as nervous as he had when he told Dorian about the meaning behind their necklaces. “This isn’t--marriage isn’t really the sort of thing I’m into, but you say it’s just the same as what we’ve already been doing, and I've loved that. I want to see you happy, Dorian, I’m willing to give it a try.”

Dorian just keeps staring, mouth hanging open and eyes wide.

“Ah, shit. That wasn’t right, was it?” Bull shuffles around so he’s sitting with his legs out in front of him because of course, of _course_ he went down on his bad knee. Heat of the moment and all that. “I know I’m supposed to give you a ring I got on my own, but I didn’t really have this planned out, ya know? I figured this would have to do. And I’m probably supposed to wear clothes, too. Crap.” Bull replaces the ring on Dorian’s finger, but doesn’t let go of his hand. “Dorian, Kadan, say something. Did you not want me to do that? Was this wrong?”

Dorian’s brain chooses that exact moment to catch up, and he shouts, “YES,” flinging himself into the Bull’s arms and kissing him. “I mean, no, but yes, I--” Dorian cuts off, dissolving into delirious laughter and perhaps a small amount of tears. “Yes, I will marry you; no, this wasn’t wrong,” Dorian clarifies when he calms down, and this time Bull is kissing him back, both of them smiling into it too much for it to be anything more than a quick press of lips.

Bull picks Dorian up and settles both of them back on the bed, Dorian in his lap, facing him. “Are you supposed to give me a ring too? Because..." Iron Bull trails off, placing his palm against Dorian's.  
  
Dorian grabs him by the wrist and holds Bull’s hand steady, comparing the sizes of their fingers. "Perhaps one from my thumb could work…" But the Bull's smallest finger still shows on either side of Dorian's thumb when he compares them.  
  
"Pretty sure we'll need to get one made, if that's your plan," Bull laughs.  
  
"Here, let me see that." Dorian pulls at the chain around Iron Bull's neck, tugging at it until he finds the clasp and undoes it. "There," he says slipping a ring onto one side, letting it fall to slide down the chain and clack against the dragon tooth.  
  
"One for you, too," Bull says, and reaches over to dig in a bedside drawer. "Boss keeps giving me all the largest sizes of this enchanted shit she picks off corpses. I'm not sure she realizes I only have so many fingers." He plucks the smallest ring from the pile, and tests it on each of Dorian's fingers before giving up and sliding it onto the chain as Dorian had done for him. "There, now we match."  
  
Dorian's smile is blinding, before it’s lost in another kiss. 


End file.
